What actually happens at your first consultation

If you’ve been putting off booking a consultation because you’re not sure what to expect, that’s completely normal — most people who sit down with us for the first time tell us the same thing.

Here’s an honest walkthrough of what actually happens.

It starts with a conversation, not a treatment plan

A consultation isn’t a sales pitch. It’s twenty minutes (sometimes longer) of us actually listening — what’s bothering you, what you’ve noticed changing, what you’re hoping for and, just as importantly, what you’re not looking to change. We ask questions before we make any suggestions.

The concerns almost everyone brings up

“Will I look frozen?”
This is the most common worry we hear, and it’s a fair one. Dosing is tailored to you, not applied the same way to everyone — the aim is always for your expression to still move naturally. Refreshed, not frozen. We wrote about this in more detail in “Will I look frozen?”

“Does it hurt?”
Most patients describe it as a brief, manageable discomfort rather than something painful. We’ll always talk you through exactly what to expect on the day.

“What if I don’t like it?”
Anti-wrinkle treatment is temporary by nature, which is part of why we take a cautious, reviewed approach rather than a one-and-done plan. If anything about your results doesn’t sit right with you, that’s exactly what a follow-up review is for.

Sometimes the honest answer is “you don’t need it”

Not every consultation ends in a treatment plan, and that’s fine. If we don’t think something is going to serve you, we’ll say so. It’s a harder habit to build than it sounds, but it’s the one we hold ourselves to.

How to prepare

• Come with a rough idea of what’s bothering you, but don’t feel you need a technical vocabulary for it — “this line here” is plenty
• Bring a list of any medications or health conditions relevant to treatment
• Avoid blood-thinning medication or alcohol for a day or two beforehand if you can, to reduce bruising risk
• Bring someone with you if that would make you more comfortable — plenty of patients do

If you’ve been going back and forth about booking, that hesitation is normal — come in anyway. Worst case, you leave with a clearer picture and no pressure to book anything. Full detail on the treatment itself is on our anti-wrinkle injections page.